


Must Be A Hyuck Thing

by rosieroseroe



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Everyone teases Mark, Flirting, Gay Panic, Johnny Ten and Jaehyun are roommates, M/M, Mark is a panicked gay, THIS IS SELF-INDULGENT, and kind of a mess, cursing, mark is oblivious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosieroseroe/pseuds/rosieroseroe
Summary: Johnny just wants to make videos, get his MBA, go to parties with his friends, and have fun with his boyfriend in his last moments in college before entering the "real world." What he didn't expect was to end up on a mission to get two of his friends together.





	1. Must Be A Hyuck Thing

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% self-indulgent nonsense based on a dream I had last night and I regret nothing LOL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny just wanted to relax for the day, but he should have known that plan was going to go out the window once Mark came knocking at his door.
> 
> Or... Johnny and Ten give Mark some "helpful" advice about a certain problem he's having.

Johnny idly flipped through his magazine while he lounged on his bed. He had thought about doing something more productive with his day, but just spending the day relaxing was too appealing to give up. And really… what better way to relax than look up the current fashion trends around the world. Maybe it’d give him inspiration for the next Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation video. But those videos were always more fun when he forced his friends to do it impromptu, and his followers on YouTube always seemed to like it that way as well.

A soft knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts. Rolling his eyes, Johnny marked the page he was on and closed the magazine. That hesitant knock could only mean one person and one thing. “Mark, I can hear your gay panic from here.”

The door opened revealing a confused and flustered Mark. It really was fun teasing the younger so much. “What? I’m not-”

Johnny felt his lip twitch up, and tried his hardest to keep the amusement off his face. But man.. The way Mark’s eyes shifted around the room as if waiting for something to jump out made it very, very hard. “God, Mark, don’t have a stroke.” The smirk spread across his lips before he could stop it.

Mark continued to stand awkwardly by his door, so he took pity on the other and patted the end of his bed. Mark wasted no time in walking over and sitting as far away as he could from Johnny. _Weird_ , Johnny thought, but Mark was always cautious about touching. “I need advice about a… problem?”

 _Oh._ Johnny schooled his features. “Let me guess. Does this problem begin with a Dong and end in a Hyuck?” Mark’s eyes widened and Johnny let the smirk reappear. _So predictable. It’s kinda cute._

“Did I hear Donghyuck? Where is my favorite protege?” Ten walked in with a bowl of popcorn and looked at the scene before him as if he had found the greatest source of entertainment in the dorm. He jumped on the bed beside Johnny sending pieces of popcorn cascading onto the bed. Johnny had to withhold the urge to shove the other off the bed.

“It’s not about Donghyuck!” Mark tried to defend himself but his voice rose a few octaves and the two others had to keep from rolling their eyes.

“Mark,” Ten began and Johnny could only image what was going to come out of his mouth. “I could smell the gay panic rolling off of you even over my popcorn.”

Mark stuttered and his wide eyes turned in Johnny’s direction for help or reassurance or something. This time Johnny didn’t hold back the eyeroll as he watched Ten pop a piece of popcorn in his mouth, looking far too smug and comfortable in _Johnny’s_ bed. “Really?” Johnny eventually asked, trying his hardest to hide his exasperation for the whole situation. This isn’t how his day was supposed to go.

Ten gestured to Mark, who seemed frozen in time and space. “I mean, look at him.”

Johnny glanced at Mark. “Okay, fair enough.”

“Hey!” Mark squawked, but Johnny ignored him.

“But what’s with this whole protege thing?”

“I’m training him.”

“ _Right._ Well, since it’s your _protege_ that’s doing this to him, what’s your advice?” Johnny asked, and that seemed to calm Mark down. Slightly. Since Mark looked seconds away from just bolting out of the room.

Ten pretended to think over the question while carefully chewing on his popcorn. “Hm…” Johnny sighed as he realized Ten was just being dramatic. “Donghyuck is a very clingy person.”

Johnny frowned. “Obviously.” He groaned when Ten gave his side a quick jab.

“I wasn’t done.” Ten turned his eyes toward Mark. “The best way to deal with Donghyuck is to just get used to it.”

Groaning, Johnny dragged his hands down his face. “Why the fuck are we roommates again?” 

“Because I have an irresistible charm?” Ten reached out and stroked Johnny’s cheek - as touchy feely as ever. This was nothing, but poor Mark really did look like he’d have a stroke.

“You’re scaring the child,” he joked, “and your charm is not why we’re roommates. It’s because no one else at this god awful college could handle you. Plus, we’re dating anyway.”

Ten pouted. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.” Johnny let him lean in and kiss his cheek.

“Your lips are salty and greasy. This is disgusting.” Johnny looked to Mark to see the younger watching them with a mixture of curiosity and nausea. “Here’s my advice Mark.” That gained the other’s attention again. “Donghyuck _is_ a clingy person, but he seems much more clingy to you. I don’t know why but maybe it’s because he likes you.”

Mark flushed a deep shade of red and Johnny thought he was adorable. It was no wonder Donghyuck was so smitten, and everyone but Mark seemed to understand that. “Y-You… What?”

Ten tucked himself into Johnny’s side and cooed at Mark, who struggled to gather his thoughts together. “Is it really that hard to believe?” Mark glanced between the two of them. “Maybe you should just reciprocate. I know it would make Donghyuck’s day.”

Mark stuttered and Johnny felt bad for the poor boy, but it didn’t stop him from teasing Mark further. “Why don’t you just go find your little Hyuckie and give him a kiss?”

“What! No!” Mark stood from the bed and started pacing. “I- No- Why would I?” He looked moments away from a panic attack. “I gotta go!” He practically yelled and ran from the room.

“Next advice will cost $14!” Ten yelled out to him, but Johnny had a feeling Mark hadn’t heard a thing.

Johnny stared at the blank space that Mark had just been occupying. “Maybe… we went too far…” He mumbled as Ten got cozy. “And, seriously… protege?”

“Kindly, fuck off.”

“Seeing as we share this room and this is my bed, not likely.”

Jaehyun appeared in the doorway, eating some cereal from a paper bowl. “Huh.” His face shifted from confusion to understanding. “You know, at first I thought maybe Mark’s gay panic was caused by catching you two fucking or something, but this is the most innocent I’ve seen the two of you.” He took another bite of cereal. “Must be a Hyuck thing then.” He walked away, making Johnny and Ten laugh.


	2. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Johnny and Ten make future plans for Mark and Donghyuck while Jaehyun comes to the conclusion that he really needs new friends.

Johnny leaned against the hallway, scrolling through his phone. He’d posted a new Johnny’s Fashion Evaluation video on his YouTube channel that had featured his very unsuspecting friends. Their initial annoyance and embarrassment was apparently what his viewers loved most of all. Not that he blamed them, really. It was entertaining to watch them all get flustered, especially when he’d done it right after their dance elective.

Of course, a few of his friends still managed to make sweaty hair, shorts and t-shirts look good. And his followers were quick to point that out.

He watched through the video, stifling his laugh every time someone tried to avoid his camera. However, a snort escaped when the shot of Ten and Jaehyun blockading the door came into view, preventing their friends from leaving. 

Ten had managed to look great - like always. The sultry gaze he gave the camera as he ran his fingers through his damp hair should probably be illegal in at least fifteen countries. Or maybe all of them but who was Johnny to judge.

Sometimes Johnny even wondered why Ten had stuck to him so quickly. Maybe he should ask some day.

The best part of the video, though, had to be Mark. The awkward laugh the younger gave as he tried to sneak through the door to their practice room… only to have Jaehyun pull him back to the center, where Ten and their lovely Donghyuck put him on display.

He stood stiff as a board and then began to fidget as Ten and Donghyuck poked and prodded him, highlighting various parts of his clothes. Johnny’s favorite moment was when Donghyuck pointed at Mark’s shoes and yelled, “What are those?!” So embarrassing, yet so wonderful. Johnny had never been so proud, and Ten’s comment, “Hyuckie, we went over this earlier. No,” afterward with the deadpan gaze was hilarious.

“Banana!” A body landed against his, almost sending him and the other to the floor.

“Seriously, Ten?” Johnny stared while Ten gave him an exaggerated kiss to the cheek.

“What?” 

He had the audacity to try to look cute and innocent. “The nickname.”

“Banana?” Johnny nodded. “Banana… bun?” Ten asked tilting his head to the side as Johnny rolled his eyes. “Oh! I get it now. You’d rather be called Banana Dick.”

Groaning, Johnny averted his eyes from the other students walking by them. “I don’t know whether to laugh or be offended at this point.”

Ten nudged him gently. “Come on, you know you want to laugh.” Chuckling, Johnny shook his head. “So what were you doing?”

“Waiting for your class to get done.”

“No, no.” Ten motioned to the phone in Johnny’s hand. “What were you watching?”

Ten snatched the phone from his hand and moved the video ahead. “This is my favorite part.” He hit the play button and Donghyuck’s evaluation began. “Look at my protege go.” Johnny had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He had to admit, Donghyuck did manage to pull off some looks that could almost be considered Ten’s level. “I’ve taught him well.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Johnny shook his head.

“Oh here,” Ten continued, ignoring Johnny’s comment. “This is my other favorite part.” Donghyuck ran a hand through his hair and down his neck, biting his lip ever so gently. “I taught him that.”

“You know, these videos aren’t supposed to be seductive. They’re meant to be fun,” he chastised playfully.

“Please, don’t act like your subscribers don’t love it.” Johnny couldn’t deny that. “And you wouldn’t get comedy gold like this.” Ten paused the video and gave the phone back to Johnny. “Look at Mark in the background,” he said giddily, but his laughter sounded tinged with a sort of evilness.

Johnny found Mark and doubled over in laughter. “What!” He yelled, grabbing the attention of many people. “He looks like he’s gonna start drooling! Oh, this poor boy. We have to help him.”

Ten grinned. “But before we do, let’s get all the meme faces we can out of him.”

Pausing in thought, a smirk slowly appeared. “Oh, that’s brilliant.” Johnny wrapped an arm around Ten’s shoulders. “This is why I love you.”

A blinding smile appeared on Ten’s face. “Then you’ll also love that I told our little Hyuckie that Mark might try to reciprocate his feelings.”

Johnny’s head fell back in laughter. “This is going to be fantastic! Let’s get to lunch so we can watch the train wreck that is going to be Mark Lee.” He started walking toward the exit, but Ten dug his heels into the ground.

“Wait.”

“What?” Johnny looked at him confused.

“We have to do this right.”

He liked the sound of that. “What do you have in mind?” Johnny asked, and the smirk that slowly spread across his boyfriend’s face told him whatever it was, it was going to be good.

“Oh, I have a few things in mind.”

Johnny _definitely_ liked the sound of that.

“You two disgust me,” Jaehyun walked by while scrolling through his phone. 

Johnny blinked in surprise, forgetting that his other roommate had a class in this hall and got done at the same time as Ten. What kind of friend did that make him? He almost laughed when Ten held his hand in a vice grip and pulled him to follow Jaehyun. “Says the man thirsting after a certain dance grad student,” Ten commented, sending Johnny into a laughing fit.

Jaehyun’s only response was a roll of the eyes and some mumbled words, which Johnny could only assume were thinly veiled curses. Johnny actually half expected Ten to continue prodding the other until he finally got under Jaehyun’s skin, but he didn’t. Instead, Ten turned to Johnny with bright eyes.

“So,” he began, “my plan.”

“Right!” It was time to get back to the important stuff. “Enlighten me, please.”

Ten’s hands rubbed together as he formulated his ideas inside his head. “We document the whole thing using social media. Give the fans what they want!”

“You want to expose poor Markie to world?”

“Yes.”

“I’m in.”

Stopping abruptly, Jaehyun sighed and turned to look back at them. Johnny and Ten stopped before they walked into him. “As much as I love torturing the young ones, can we not traumatize the poor boy.”

Johnny grinned at that. “We won’t traumatize him.” (“Of course not!” Ten added helpfully.) “And it’s not a secret that he’s gay. We wouldn’t be exposing him.”

“Just because someone’s out doesn’t mean they want to be put in the spotlight.”

“Talking from experience?” Ten quirked an eyebrow, and Johnny elbowed him when Jaehyun’s mood soured. “Sorry, that… that was bad.” The sincerity that Ten spoke in warmed Johnny’s heart. He sometimes said some insensitive things on impulse, but it was never intentional.

The upturned lips on Jaehyun’s face told Johnny he understood that as well. “The other thing I want to point out is that Mark’s not _gay_ per se. Has he told anyone that he actually likes guys?” Johnny and Ten side eyed each other. “See? Hell, I don’t even think he knows what he is because he’s dated a few girls. We just know that he’s _extremely gay_ for Donghyuck.”

Johnny pursed his lips. “True… But he has made comments about other guys being attractive.” He turned to Ten and saw the same contemplation on his boyfriend’s face. And then… his eyes lit up in glee. “Tell me you’ve had an epiphany,” Johnny said with bated breath. 

“We document,” Johnny and Jaehyun both groaned in disappointment, “but in a good way!” Ten yelled in defence. “We focus on the good things. It’ll be like a love story. Mark wading his way through the holy gay waters for the very first time.”

“Why the fuck am I friends with you again?” Jaehyun deadpanned, turning back around and making his way back toward the cafeteria.

Johnny couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them. “Stopping laughing!” Ten jabbed his stomach. “And listen to me! This is a great idea!”

“Okay, what is it?” Johnny’s voice was strained.

“One of us gets snippets of their budding relationship on say snapchat. It will get the fans interested. And the other will take videos and then we post weekly updates on YouTube about all the progress they’re making!”

Ten seemed so happy about it, Johnny just kind of smiled. It could be interesting. A lot of his followers and subscribers loved Mark and Donghyuck and most of them could easily see Donghyuck’s intentions and Mark’s literal fucking heart eyes for his best friend. Johnny could tell most of them were silently (or loudly - there were a lot of caps lock comments on his videos) cheering for the two of them to figure it out.

“Progress…” Jaehyun said the word slowly and deliberately, glancing back at Johnny and Ten again. “You do realize we are talking about Mark here, right?”

Groaning, Ten threw his head back. “Fuck, fine. Progress _or_ lack thereof. Happy now?” Jaehyun smirked victoriously.

“I think it’s a great idea, Babe,” Johnny stated, causing Ten to grin with a head held high and Jaehyun to groan again.

“I need new fucking friends,” Jaehyun decided.

Ten, still on a high from Johnny’s decision to make the videos, grinned even wider. “I heard there’s a certain dancer that could use some more friends.”

“Right!” Johnny exclaimed. “I forgot most of Taeyong’s classmates graduated last year. I’m like one of his few friends now. I should get the two of you to hang out more often. Maybe once Ten and I get Mark and our little Hyuckie together, you and Taeyong will be next.”

“Fucking hell.” Jaehyun walked faster in an attempt to leave the two behind.

“Jaehyun!” Johnny yelled dramatically.

“JAEHYUN! COME BACK TO US!” Ten yelled even more obnoxiously when Jaehyun reached the doors of the cafeteria, basically causing a scene as a large number of eyes turned in their direction.

“God, he’s gonna kill us,” Johnny stated after Jaehyun glared at them.

“It was totally worth it.”

“You know he’s still right about Mark not technically being out. I mean, we all see it and he’s said things that make it really fucking obvious, but he’s never said things like, ‘oh, hey guys, I like dudes,’ you know?”

“I can’t believe you said, ‘I like dudes,’ in a sentence.”

“You’re right, Mark would say he likes bros,” Johnny said, making Ten laugh.

Ten stood on his tiptoes and pecked Johnny’s cheek. “You know, this is why I love you.”

Johnny grinned at Ten. “So what do we do about this Mark and Donghyuck thing.”

“Document their friendship. Their _very gay friendship_.”

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... I basically said screw it and continued this because I thought of something else and SHOCKINGLY it's just as much of a mess as the first part. And I never knew you could regret everything and nothing at the same time. What a concept. Also shamelessly projecting myself onto Jaehyun what can I say lol also totally using random conversations I've had with my friends as inspiration for this which is kinda why this is such a crack like fic. I'm so sorry...
> 
> Adios! - Roe


	3. The Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which The Plan turns into The Mess within an hour and Johnny regrets what he and Ten started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here comes panic mark again LOL

Well, this was not how Johnny had expected this to go. He could feel the tension in the air as soon as he and Ten made it to their designated table in the cafeteria. He never thought that saying about cutting tension with a knife was a legit feeling until this moment. It left him thinking, _What the fuck?_

He looked to Ten, who was sitting next to him, only to see the younger looking at the scene before them with a mixture of amusement and disappointment constantly shifting on his face. Johnny could say that he at least felt the same way. May just add a huge dose of confusion into the mix and boom, that was Johnny’s feelings.

Looking around the table, his friends either seemed unaware or wholly ignoring the mess that was occurring just across the table from Johnny. Ten was to his right just observing the show. Jaehyun had his face pressed even closer to his phone than usual. And if Doyoung sighed one more time as he absentmindedly pushed his food around his tray, Johnny was going to lose his shit. 

Yuta and Sicheng had straight up left their table and took up residence one table over - lost in their own little world. Taeil had taken one look at The Mess (as Johnny was now calling it) and joined Yuta and Sicheng, exchanging one awkwardness for a slightly more bearable awkwardness. He was saved when Taeyong had made the wise choice to follow Taeil's footsteps. Even Lucas and Jungwoo, who loved those involved in The Mess, joined the other table.

But what took the cake was Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun walking into the cafeteria... seeing _this_ and just turning around and _running_ out the door practically knocking people over in the process. Jeno even shoved Jaemin to the side, making him hit the wall next to the door. Poor Renjun had to help a disoriented Jaemin find his way outside. Those three were another disaster.

And again, Johnny was left thinking, _WHAT THE FUCK._

His phone vibrated on the table, and Johnny almost knocked his tray to the floor in his haste to distract himself. It was Jaehyun, messaging both Johnny and Ten.

'I blame both of you for this shit. Just so you know.'

Johnny was not so shockingly blaming himself for this as well. At least for one half of The Mess. He was 100% blaming Ten for the other half.

His phone buzzed again and saw Ten's response. 'noted. we blame ourselves.' Johnny didn't know whether to laugh because Ten knew him so well or cry because Ten was right and they created not a mess - a disaster. _‘The Disaster’_ by Johnny Seo and Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. It could be a book or even a motion picture.

'I need to bleach my brain to forget this.' Jaehyun answered.

Johnny snorted and responded. 'I'm joining.'

'No, you are both fixing that.'

Johnny and Ten both looked up and grimaced. 'do we have to?' Ten asked for the both of them.

'Yes.'

They both sighed in unison - resigned to their fate. To be fair, Johnny and Ten wanted this but not necessarily _this_.

Ten responded by deflecting. 'i think the real question here is... is doyoung okay?' And Johnny ignored them as they went back and forth debating the topic that was Doyoung - probably to avoid the real matter at hand.

Johnny finally allowed himself to really take in what was occurring in front of him, and it was painful. Donghyuck and Mark. Dumb and Dumber. The Flirt and The Pining Idiot. _Dear God, if you're there, help me. I've made a terrible mistake._ Because Johnny and Ten had unleashed one of the most confident gays in their group on their poor, poor Mark, who was a very confused boy.

The tension between the two was high, which was odd seeing as though Donghyuck was actually tame. It was like the other was holding himself back from what he usually did, meaning there was no hugging or attempts of kissing or hand holding from the youngest at the table.

The best part of it all was that Donghyuck was definitely taking what Ten had told him seriously. He knew Mark was probably, possibly, hopefully... trying to reciprocate his feelings, and he was giving Mark multiple opportunities. So far, Donghyuck has tried leaning into Mark's space and grinning - close but not too close - leaned his head on Mark's shoulder, gently nudged him… It was cute.

Except Mark looked... well... Johnny closed his eyes at the almost constipated look on Mark's face. His poor friend looked stricken and confused and very, very unsure of himself. Especially now that Donghyuck had placed his hand on the table with his palm slightly upturned so it was just between him and Mark.

It was obvious he was waiting for Mark to hold his hand. The only problem Mark was practically glaring at Donghyuck's hand as he tried to build up the courage to take hold of it. Johnny didn't think it would be this difficult for Mark.

_This was a horrible idea._ Johnny sighed and looked at the multiple messages Ten and Jaehyun were sending back and forth. Glancing to the side, Johnny realized that Doyoung must have finally had enough and left. The other table was empty as well.

'Guys.' Johnny sent to the group chat and the two of them stopped sending messages. 'We gotta stop the mission. The Plan is off.'

Jaehyun sighed on his left. 'You need talk to Mark and Ten needs to talk to Donghyuck and FUCKING FIX THIS.'

Ten angrily stabbed at his pasta. 'youre just pissy that taeyong isnt sitting at our table'

'Stop. He's right Babe. We gotta do it.'

'but banana dick'

'Ten I swear to god. I love you but no.'

'I will kill both of you. And it will be extremely painful.'

'green isnt a good color on you jaeby'

'Ten. Babe. Don't.' Johnny desperately messaged when he saw Jaehyun's hand squeeze around his phone. 'I want to live and preferably with you alive as well.'

'fine'

"Are you three really messaging each other right in front of us?" The three of them looked up to see an annoyed Donghyuck, who still hand his hand placed precariously on the table. Mark didn't even seem to notice Donghyuck was talking because he was _still staring at the hand._

_We have a lot of work to do_ , Johnny thought sadly.

"Why would you think that?" Jaehyun asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Because nobody at this fucking table is talking or doing anything." Donghyuck seethed, clenching his hand into a fist. Mark's lack of reaction must have been getting under his skin, and Johnny regretted his choice. A happy Donghyuck was the only Donghyuck any of them wanted. The boy was literal sunshine that they even called him Haechan sometimes. Johnny did not like an unhappy Donghyuck.

Pushing his seat back, Johnny stood up to gather everyone's attention. They all looked confused. Except Mark was still on that damn hand. "Right, well," Johnny walked around and practically lifted Mark out of his chair by the armpits, "since no one is doing anything, I'm going to borrow this idiot."

Mark seemed to shake out of his trance. "Wait, what?" He looked around confused. "Why am I an idiot?" He asked while he was being dragged away.

"Because I said so." Johnny didn't stop walking.

"Hey! Where are you taking Mark!" Donghyuck yelled angrily, standing up to chase after them.

Johnny thanked Ten for pushing Donghyuck back into his seat. "We also need to talk, Hyuckie." He patted the younger boy's head lovingly. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

"What? Why?" Donghyuck asked confused.

Jaehyun sighed as he looked at one of the youngest in the group. "Because you and Mark are going to drive me and everyone else insane."

"That's not my fault!" His voice rose in pitch. "Mark- he-"

"Yes, yes," Ten massaged the younger's shoulders. "Mark's an idiot. We know. Oh, we _really_ know. But you, my friend, are half of the puzzle. So we are going to have _the talk_."

"What are you, my mom?" Donghyuck glared, earning a slap to the back of the head.

"A little respect would be nice."

Donghyuck hung his head in defeat. "Fine. As long as there are no birds and bees involved."

Jaehyun sighed as he stood up as well. "I seriously need more friends."

Ten clicked his tongue. "You've got plenty. Stop pretending you don't love us."


	4. Just A Little Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Johnny takes on the role of the older brother and has a little chat/pep talk with Mark.
> 
> Featuring a little Johnny and Jaehyun cuddle session.

Johnny ended up dragging Mark out of the cafeteria without any real destination in mind. He just knew that he had to get Mark away from The Mess. Because The Mess had quickly become The Disaster, creating a very angry Donghyuck and that was terrifying. Johnny didn't like that one bit.

And Jaehyun told him to fix it, so he will. Except now he didn't have a clue where to go.

"Uh, Johnny?" Mark asked, voice uncertain. "Where are we going? Why'd we leave the cafeteria?"

Johnny stopped walking and let go of Mark's wrist. The younger rubbed it gently and maybe Johnny had been holding onto it a bit too hard. "Sorry," he apologized a bit offhandedly, "but we are going to have a little chat."

Mark frowned in confusion. "Chat about what? And you never said where we’re going."

"I don't know where the fuck we're going, Mark, but we _needed_ to get you away from Donghyuck." Johnny groaned. He saw the way Mark frowned even more - like he didn't understand what Johnny was talking about - and it made Johnny want to bang his head against a wall. _This boy_ , Johnny sighed, pinching his nose, _he's going to be the death of me._ "If you tell me," he said as Mark opened his mouth, "that you don't know why you had to leave, I'm going to lose my shit."

"But-"

"Nope!" Johnny talked loudly, overpowering Mark. "Don't want to hear it! Just trust me when I say that this is in your best interest and Donghyuck's as well. He's terrifying when he's mad."

"Why was Donghyuck mad?" Mark glared at Johnny. "What did you do?"

The protective nature Mark had about Donghyuck should be adorable. It was but Johnny didn't appreciate being the one blamed for Donghyuck's sour mood. That had 100% been Mark even if Johnny and Ten had kind of - basically - been the reason the whole situation started. Details, right?

Johnny tried to compose himself before saying anything in return. The last thing he wanted was to argue with Mark. "You know what," he began, shaking his head slightly to clear it, "we aren't going to do this." Then he threw caution to the wind. "Before you accuse me, maybe you should look in the mirror." Thankfully, it worked.

"Me?" Mark looked as though the world had just tilted on its axis and he was seconds away from falling over. "What... why me?"

Taking pity on the younger, Johnny wrapped his arm around Mark's shoulders. "Mark," he began to guide his friend in the direction of his apartment since he knew Jaehyun had class and Ten would take Donghyuck somewhere else. "Let's go chat."

"About what?" Mark asked confused, but let Johnny guide him anyway.

"About you and Donghyuck."

Mark stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean?" Johnny turned to look at him. "There's nothing wrong with me and Hyuckie! Everything's fine!" There was that higher pitched voice that Mark used when he was on the verge of panicking.

Johnny remembered how Mark had been staring - glaring actually - at Donghyuck's hand. "Right," he said slowly, carefully. He didn't need Mark freaking out before Johnny could even get him to the apartment. "And that's what we are going to talk about!" He said cheerily, and somehow that had managed to get Mark walking again.

_This is going to be difficult._

By the time they got to Johnny's apartment, Mark seemed more relaxed. The walk had calmed him down and gave Johnny time to think about how to approach this. Mark was still in denial even if he was trying to show more affection toward Donghyuck. It really wasn't healthy for either of the two. Mark had to be comfortable with himself first and foremost.

Johnny thought about when he was back in high school. It had taken him awhile to understand that he liked men and women, and probably even longer to come to terms with it. Actually, Jaehyun was the first guy he dated since they went to the same high school and practically grew up together. Turns out they were better off as friends, but Johnny wouldn't trade it for the world.

They learned a lot about themselves when they were with each other. Johnny wished the same would happen for Mark, but it didn't seem to be working out. He was probably going to have to talk it out with Mark, but he still didn't know how.

When they got inside, they both toed off their shoes and walked into the apartment. Johnny was still in thought when Mark called out to him. "Hey, Johnny?" Mark's voice was uncharacteristically quiet - barely over a whisper.

It reminded Johnny of when he first met Mark in high school. Johnny had been a senior at the time and dating Jaehyun, a sophomore. Mark had just moved to the area and was this scrawny little freshman with bright yet terrified eyes. Johnny had taken Mark under his wing - saw the younger like a brother to be protected.

Mark had come a long way since then and to hear him quiet and unsure of himself again tugged at Johnny's heart. "What's wrong?"

Mark shifted on his feet. He purposely looked everywhere except at Johnny, and that told the other a lot. "Can we not talk? About Donghyuck I mean..." Johnny frowned. "At least, not right now."

Johnny thought it over. He really didn't want to push this off, but he could see that Mark needed time. "Yeah, sure," he ruffled the younger's hair, "what do you want to do instead? You don't have anymore classes today, right?"

Mark nodded and a small smile pulled at his lips. "I was hoping we could watch a movie or dramas or something?" It was in that moment that Johnny remembered just how adorable a shy Mark could be.

"Let me guess... you want to pile pillows and blankets on the floor like old times?" Johnny quirked an eyebrow and Mark grinned brightly. "Alright..." Johnny tried to sound exasperated but Mark's smile was contagious and Johnny found himself grinning back.

It didn't take long for them to gather all the pillows in the apartment. Johnny even took Jaehyun's pillows - he'd suffer the other's wrath later on. But he only grabbed the blankets from Ten's bed since Ten basically spent every night with Johnny anyway.

They made their bed and curled up under the blankets, but not before grabbing snacks. "So," Johnny began, "what are we watching?" He started eating the snacks and realized, when his stomach grumbled, that he hadn't really ate lunch. _Snacks never hurt anyone_ , he decided.

"Something... fun?" Mark obviously hadn't an idea of what he wanted to watch. "I don't know. I just don't want to watch something depressing."

"Let's go with..." Johnny opened his laptop and scrolled through Netflix. "Ah. Here we go. _Thor: Ragnarok?_ " It was a good combination of funny, serious, and action packed movie.

"That works," Mark commented, shifting until he was in a more comfortable position.

The movie began and Johnny had seen it enough times to not really have to pay attention to it. He glanced at Mark, to find him fully immersed in the movie. Johnny wished he could help Mark out with this whole Donghyuck thing, since it was really his fault it had escalated to this point. Even if Mark was oblivious or pretending to be oblivious to everything - Johnny still wasn’t sure.

Johnny was glad to hear Mark laughing wholeheartedly. He had apparently made the right choice in movie, and as Johnny laughed along with the movie, he decided that he would just let the topic of Mark and Donghyuck go for now. There was bound to be a way to talk about the situation eventually.

And then as the movie progressed, his opportunity came. Johnny watched as Valkyrie was saved by one of her own on the screen. "Did you know Valkyrie is bisexual?" He mumbled almost under his breath.

Mark, who had curled closer to Johnny as the movie continued, seemed to stiffen against him. "O-oh?" He whispered and Johnny noticed that Mark was picking at the hem of one of the blankets.

"Yeah, in the comics she apparently has a romantic relationship with another woman," Johnny explained, keeping his eyes on the screen to make Mark feel more comfortable. "And someone told me the woman who saved her in the movie was supposedly her girlfriend, which is why she was so torn up about it, but I don't know if that's true or not."

Johnny heard Mark hum in response but the younger didn't say anything. Johnny wasn't going to press it. He just wanted to put the idea in Mark's head, and apparently it worked.

"Johnny?" He barely heard Mark over the movie. "How did you know?" Looking to Mark, he noticed the younger was completely ignoring the movie now. His eyes were locked on his hands.

Part of Johnny wanted to ask what he meant, but he also figured that it was probably best to make this as easy as possible. "You mean how I knew I was like Valkyrie and liked men and women?" Mark nodded. "Don't really know. It was during high school and just one day I realized my thoughts were different from others."

"What do you mean?" Mark's attention was on him now, so Johnny paused the video.

"Well," he tried to figure out a way to get his thoughts out clearly, "it's hard to explain. I just noticed that I would think or say things about guys at school or celebrities and I realized my friends were really only saying those kinds of things about women." Mark didn't respond. "Acting on those feelings was another story. Jaehyun helped, actually."

That seemed to get Mark's attention. "Jaehyun?"

"Don't tell me you never noticed." Mark just stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow, you really didn't notice... this is shocking, but also kind of not."

"What?"

"Jaehyun and I were dating my senior year of high school when you first joined our friend group." Mark just stared at him. "You _really_ didn't notice?" Mark flushed a dark red and shook his head. "Anyway, Jaehyun and I dated and it made things easier. We knew each other well and it helped both of us feel comfortable in our own bodies."

Mark looked away and back at his hands. "That... sounds nice. Really nice actually."

Johnny observed Mark for a moment. He seemed lost in his thoughts. "You want that too, right?" Mark looked at him confused. "To feel comfortable, I mean."

The look on Mark's face changed to defensiveness rather than confusion. "I am comfortable," but his voice rose in pitch, which they both knew meant he was lying. "I am... really."

Wrapping an arm around Mark's shoulders, Johnny pulled him a little closer. "It's okay not to be, you know?" He ran a comforting hand through Mark's hair. "Sometimes, it takes time. You want to talk about it now?"

Sighing, Mark placed his head on his arms. "You mean talk about Donghyuck, right?"

Johnny nodded, but realized that Mark wouldn't be able to see him with his face buried in his arms. "Only if you want to," he said, not wanting to push the other. "And I guess I should apologize about the other day when Ten and I teased you about it." Thinking back on it, Johnny had to admit it was kind of a dick move, but hindsight was always 20/20, right?

"It's okay," Mark mumbled, turning his head slightly to look at Johnny. "I'm used to that from you guys already." Johnny would probably disagree, remembering the way Mark had stuttered and flushed, but oh well. He'd just have to let it go for now.

"So?" Johnny prodded gently.

With a sigh, Mark kept his head down and closed his eyes. There was a long pause and Johnny thought the other was either not going to talk or had fallen asleep. "I don't know where to start."

Humming, Johnny wasn't too sure of that either. "Well, you could just talk about Hyuck."

"What about him?"

"Anything, everything..." He mumbled vaguely. "What are your thoughts about him?"

Mark's soft smile told Johnny everything he needed to know even if Mark didn't know it himself. "He's great." Johnny had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. "My best friend really."

"I thought that title belonged to Lucas?" Johnny frowned in confusion.

Opening his one eye just enough to look at Johnny, Mark shook his head. "Just don't tell him that. I don't have the heart to break it to him."

Johnny snorted at that. "He does have a fragile heart."

"Exactly."

"So what else besides Donghyuck being great and your best friend?"

Closing his eyes again, Mark continued. "He's got a great smile and his laugh always puts me in a good mood." Johnny couldn't help but smile as well. _Why the fuck is this so precious?_ Why couldn't Mark realize his feelings? "And I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone." He opened his eyes and stared hard at Johnny.

Johnny pretended to zip his mouth shut. "My lips are sealed," he said and he meant it.

"I actually really do like when he's clingy?"

"Are you asking me or telling?" Johnny asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mark flushed red again. "I like it." He huffed. "But it just makes everything so difficult."

"It doesn't have to be difficult." Mark lifted his head and just stared at Johnny. "It's obvious from the way you talk that you really care about Donghyuck. You need to listen to yourself, Mark."

"I do listen to myself," and there was that defiant tone again.

Johnny ran another hand through Mark's hair again. "I know you do," he stated, pausing to think of what to say. "Is it really such a stretch for you to realize you like Donghyuck back?"

Mark froze and his eyes looked conflicted. "Like him... back?" Johnny nodded. "You think he really likes me?" There was a bit of hope in his tone.

"He'd be an idiot not to." Mark still didn't look very convinced. "Okay, listen, I'm going to tell you something and you have to promise not to hurt me or Ten." Frowning, Mark nodded in agreement. "Ten may have told our little Hyuckie that you were going to try to reciprocate his feelings. Remember that talk a couple days ago?"

Mark's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh god..."

"Yeah, so..." Johnny licked his lips. "The reason why Donghyuck was so upset today is because you didn't do anything at lunch and he was giving you multiple opportunities to do so... but all you could do was sit there like a statue and stare at Donghyuck's hand."

"I- I was not!" He practically screeched.

Johnny rubbed Mark's back soothingly. "I hate to break it to you, but... everyone noticed."

Groaning, Mark let his face fall onto his arms again. "What am I going to do?"

"That is completely up to you." Mark didn't comment, and Johnny had a feeling that a response wasn't going to come. "What stopped you from holding his hand this afternoon? I know you wanted to."

"I did," Mark groaned. "I don't know why. I just... I was scared."

"Of what?"

"I was scared of being rejected."

Humming, Johnny propped his head up with his hands. "I think you need to talk to Donghyuck. He'd never reject you." Mark groaned in what was probably disagreement as he pressed his face into the pillows. "Mark! He literally showers you with affection! He was giving you multiple opportunities just like... an hour ago or something! I don't know how to make this any clearer for you."

It was quiet until Johnny heard something being mumbled into the pillow below Mark's head. "Do you want to... I don't know... repeat that?" He asked.

"No..."

"Mark," Johnny warned.

With a huff, Mark lifted his head up. "I get it, okay?" He snapped and then looked guilty for it. "Sorry, I just... I know, but I'm worried about what others might say? I know it's stupid-"

"It's not," Johnny cut him off. "It's not stupid, but all of us are behind you. Me, Ten, Jaehyun, Lucas, Taeyong... all of us, Mark. We'll help you and we'll protect the two of you if you’re worried someone’s gonna judge you or something. You know this, right?"

Nodding, Mark whispered, "I know."

"Then trust yourself, Mark." He ruffled Mark's hair, making the younger laugh. "Put yourself out there. You won't be disappointed. Promise."

"I'll try." Mark grinned. The weights seemed to lift a bit. "So can we finish the movie now?"

"Are we done talking now?" Mark nodded, still smiling to Johnny's relief. The shadows in Mark’s eyes seemed less. "Then let's finish this."

Later that afternoon, Mark had finally left. He had remained in high spirits and Johnny was hoping it would continue until he saw Donghyuck again and the confidence he held onto wouldn't leave him. Johnny didn't want to hear about another disaster. He didn't think he could handle another talk with Mark, but Mark had left on a good note. _Please trust yourself, Mark_ , Johnny begged desperately in his mind.

He was lounging in bed, scrolling through social media, when he heard the door to the apartment open and close. "Ten?" Johnny called out curiously.

"Guess again," Jaehyun answered, coming to stop in the doorway. Johnny noticed he had bags under his eyes. Bags that hadn't been there earlier that day. "Did you talk to Mark?"

"I did. I’m actually hopeful." Johnny patted the spot next to him on the bed. Jaehyun wasted no time curling into his side. "Hey, did you know that Mark had no idea we were dating in high school?" He asked, running a hand through Jaehyun's hair.

"Huh," Jaehyun frowned in thought, "you know... that actually explains so much."

"Doesn't it?" Johnny chuckled, and Jeahyun hummed with closed eyes. "So, are you okay? You look tired."

His answer was a noncommittal sound. "Midterms are coming up. Just feeling a little stressed."

Johnny understood that. Everyone seemed extra on edge even before The Mess occurred earlier that day. "Hey, I want to apologize for the uh, 'jaeby' thing earlier."

Snorting, Jaehyun wrapped himself around Johnny. "Yeah, what the hell was that about?"

"Ten's also been... stressed and he's been taking it out on others. He meant no harm. It's just a combination of your name and baby." Jaehyun laughed at that. "He called me Johnby the other day. It was horrible."

"Oh, so he's not always calling you 'banana dick?' Because you know, I've seen your dick. It's average. Ten's just small and everything seems large to him." Jaehyun teased and Johnny pinched his side, making the other laugh loudly.

"My pride... you wound me." Johnny said but his smile never faded. "Ten has a funny way of showing he cares about people. He likes you, I promise."

Jaehyun hummed. "You sure?"

"I mean there is a reason why I asked for your approval before I asked him out, but I'm sure if I didn't ask, Ten would have anyway."

Lifting his head, Jeahyun stared at him with narrowed eyes. "I thought you were just being nice!" Johnny laughed and shook his head. "You mean... I could have said no and this would have never happened?"

"It definitely would have. You think Ten would take 'no' for an answer?" Johnny asked. "Can you imagine how chaotic our lives would have been if Ten was constantly pining for my affections?"

There was a beat of silence and then, "I'm so glad I reluctantly approved of him." Johnny laughed. "Speaking of Ten, have you heard from him about his talk with Donghyuck?"

"I haven't. You?"

"Nope." They both frowned in thought. Their minds going to various possibilities and really... anything was possible with Ten. "You don't think..."

"Nah, Hyuckie is probably fine."

"Right, yeah, Ten probably just... went to practice dance or something after talking with him," Jaehyun supplied in a hopeful tone.

Johnny hummed, but neither of them was convinced. "I'm gonna call him," Johnny stated, jumping out of bed.

"I've got Donghyuck." Jaehyun scrambled for his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didn't plan to update this so soon but was struck by inspiration and I 100% used thor ragnarok because I watched it today and said screw it. next chapter will feature ten and donghyuck's talk!
> 
> Also I took some liberties with changing ages with this story. I don't know how much the others are going to be included but I feel like I should at least show what years they're in...  
> Grad students: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong  
> Seniors: Yuta, Doyoung, Ten  
> Juniors: Jaehyun, Sicheng, Jungwoo  
> Sophomores: Lucas, Mark  
> Freshmen: Renjun, Jeno, Donghyuck, Jaemin  
> High School: Chenle, Jisung


	5. Just Let It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ten manages to surprise everyone even his own boyfriend.

Ten shepherded his young friend out of the cafeteria not long after Johnny had pulled a confused Mark out. But it was long enough for Jaehyun to give him that _look_ that basically said _fucking do something_. So he exited real quick in the opposite direction that Johnny and Mark had gone and far, far, _far away_ from Jaehyun, who Ten was certain was about two minutes from killing him.

Fucking protege or not, Ten did not like feeling as though he was babysitting. Which he felt very strongly at the moment. But such was life. Ten wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he was the reason behind the sudden disconnect among their friend group. Or at least half the reason… Maybe half was better than the complete reason.

“Hyung, where are we going?” Donghyuck asked, pulling Ten from his jumbled thoughts. Ten realized he was more or less shoving the younger in a random direction. He wanted to say strongly guided but Ten was practically pushing Donghyuck along despite the younger’s complaints, in his haste to vacate any area that held Jaehyun’s anger.

Except now that the question had been poised, Ten realized he really needed to figure something the fuck out. But he wasn’t good at this sort of thing, so the only thing he could do was go off of experience. And there was one thing that he knew always helped him. “We’re going to the dance practice rooms.”

The small rooms near the gyms where they had practices were Ten’s paradise. Hopefully, they’d be the same thing for Donghyuck. The poor boy looked like he needed to get rid of some of the stress. 

“But hyung… we just had practice yesterday! Today’s our off day.” Okay, or maybe not.

“Since when are you one to slack off?” Ten fired back, making sure his tone dripped with judgment.

“It’s not slacking off if we _already have off_.” Donghyuck huffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child and digging his heels into the ground in an attempt to stall their movement. Ten tried to keep the younger going, but despite his best efforts, they were at a stand still.

Ten groaned in annoyance and shoved at the younger’s back, making him stumble. “Damn you, Donghyuck! I’m trying to help you!” Donghyuck pouted. He _pouted_. “Don’t you dare look at me like that. I know what I’m talking about, so just shut up and come on.”

Grabbing Donghyuck’s wrist, he began pulling the younger along toward their destination. Ten was annoyed now. Not only did he have to “fix things” but he really, _really_ felt like he was babysitting with the way Donghyuck whined and complained the entire way to the dance rooms.

Once they were in one of the rooms, Ten stomped over to the stereo to start playing some music to warm up to. He rolled his head to loosen his neck and shoulders as he let the music wash over him like waves. He needed to let go of some stress as well. Midterms were a bitch.

He turned back to look at Donghyuck to find the younger laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling. “Come on.” Ten walked over and nudged Donghyuck with his toe. “We’re gonna dance.”

With a huff, Donghyuck sat up and stared at Ten. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.” He stared Donghyuck down until they were both standing. Ten was definitely much more ready and excited for this than Donghyuck, but he hoped that would change. “Don’t look so upset. I even added some Michael Jackson on there for you.”

That seemed to perk the younger up. Yet… as the songs shifted from one to the other there was an obvious difference between the two. Ten found himself getting lost, moving easily to the different beats. He could feel the stress leaving his body with each movement he made.

And then there was Donghyuck. The younger danced along with him in his own style, but his movements weren’t as fluid and instantaneous. Ten even noticed Donghyuck trying to mimic his own moves. The longer they danced, the more frustrated Donghyuck seemed to get until…

“This is pointless!” Donghyuck snapped quite like he had in the cafeteria. “I’m not as good at dancing as you are! I need to _learn_ a dance. I can’t always just come up with something like this.” He motioned to Ten as if that would prove a point.

“Okay, okay.” Ten quickly moved to the stereo and turned down the music until it was just a whisper in the background. “So it didn’t work like I thought it would.” He could admit when he was wrong, but at least his plan worked for himself. “I at least tried to help, so a little respect please.”

The anger seemed to dissipate in an instant and Donghyuck slowly slid down to the floor. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “I know you’re just trying to help, hyung.”

Ten joined him on the floor and they sat there cross-legged. “So, my plan didn’t work for you, but I feel great.” He gave Donghyuck a little slap to the back of the head when the younger rolled his eyes. “What’s going to work for you?”

Donghyuck frowned as he started to pick at a loose thread on his shoe. “Usually it’s singing,” he said more to himself, but then looked up at Ten with crestfallen eyes. “But I don’t really feel like singing today.”

That was not a good sign. Donghyuck _always_ wanted to sing. He was one of those people who just randomly burst into song or randomly sang his sentences because he enjoyed singing that much. Ten was just glad the other could literally sing and not just think he could sing. So the fact that Donghyuck didn’t feel like singing meant he was really down.

Ten suddenly felt like he wasn’t qualified for this. He could barely handle his own feelings sometimes. Forget someone else’s emotions. Did Jaehyun really think he could handle this on his own? Or… oh no… maybe this was revenge for all the crap Ten had put Jaehyun through lately. Well he wasn’t going to let Jaehyun win this round. Besides, Ten actually liked Donghyuck when he was carefree and a bit of a prankster and troublemaker. Depressed and angry Donghyuck was just… weird.

“It’s fine. So… can you think of anything else that would, you know… help?” Donghyuck thought for a moment before shaking his head. _Great_ , Ten thought as silence fell between them. He was suddenly very happy for the music he decided to keep on.

 _What do people usually do for this kind of thing? Talk?_ Ten wasn’t great with words. He joked mostly and was sarcastic, but talking seriously… He _could_ do it. He just wasn’t good at it. “Do you want to… talk?” Donghyuck gave him this bewildered look. “Don’t give me that look.”

“But you? You really want to talk?” Ten wondered if he should be offended by the lack of confidence the younger boy had in him.

“Yes, yes, I know. Ten wants to talk about things. What a shock,” he said in the most sarcastic way he could manage. “But apparently that works for people. So talk to me about this whole problem you’re having with Mark.” At the words, Donghyuck tensed. “So… I don’t know… talk, rant, vent or whatever will make you feel better. Just let it out, Hyuckie, because we can all see that it’s bothering you.”

Groaning, Donghyuck let himself fall backward so that he was staring at the ceiling. “He’s so fucking annoying!” He shouted throwing his hands around wildly, making Ten want to laugh. “And an _idiot_!”

“And yet you still like the guy.”

“I know,” Donghyuck whined, lifting his head up to see an amused Ten. “What’s wrong with me?”

Shaking his head, Ten laughed. “I have no idea.”

“It’s like…” Donghyuck sat up again and leaned back on his hands. “I just don’t understand. I know he likes me. I’m not stupid even if I joke and tease him all the time. I’ve noticed him looking at me, like _really_ looking at me. You know?”

“Oh, I know.” Ten nodded. It was why Johnny and he teased Mark all the time. And everyone else could see it too.

“And that’s why I tease him and everything! Because I know he doesn’t really care about it and I think he actually likes it.” (“Pretty sure he likes it,” Ten interjected.) “If I knew he didn’t, I would have stopped already.”

Ten watched as Donghyuck took a breath. “And you told me that he was going to try to do something and he didn’t do _anything_. He didn’t even _talk to me_! Do you know how much that fucking hurt me?”

Ten blinked. “Oh, uh… I think I have an idea…”

“You said he was trying!”

Straightening his back, Ten eyed the younger. He didn’t like feeling accused for something he didn’t necessarily do. “To be fair, I didn’t think Mark would have been so bad at this.” That seemed to lessen the anger in Donghyuck just a bit. “And this probably won’t help, but he really was trying.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and Ten didn’t even feel the need to retaliate. “Yeah, sure, he was trying,” Donghyuck mumbled - sarcasm clear in his voice. “He was trying pretty damn hard to be a human statue.”

“Well,” Ten’s lips quirked up, “I can’t argue with that one.”

Donghyuck let out a sigh, and Ten watched as the fight practically left his body. “I don’t know what to do,” he whispered and looked at Ten with the most pitiful eyes. “Am I doing something wrong?”

Ten could feel the pull on his heartstrings. He felt for the younger. It wasn’t too long ago that he was in the same boat before he and Johnny had ended up together. As confident as Ten was… the uncertainty was terrifying, especially when you were trying as hard as Donghyuck was.

He reached up and gave Donghyuck’s head a small pat. The younger just stared at him in shock. “Don’t give me that look. I can be soft.”

“No you can’t.” He gave Donghyuck a slap to the head. “See?”

“You ruined the moment.” He ignored the pout from the other. “ _Anyway_ , you’re not doing anything wrong. Mark’s… Well, Mark is a little confused I think.” Donghyuck frowned at the words. “Think back to when you were first trying to figure out who you were attracted to.”

“Hyung, that was in middle school.” He gave Ten a look that said he was questioning the other’s sanity.

“Humor me.”

Donghyuck laid back down to look at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I was confused. Jeno was actually my first crush.”

Ten knew that. “Okay, and?”

Humming, Donghyuck rolled onto his side so he could look at Ten. “Um, I remember staring at him a lot, thinking he was cute… He even had nice arms back then. And he had a great smile.” Then Donghyuck paused. There was a distant look in them as he thought back to his younger years.

“What’s wrong?”

He pursed his lips before he answered. “I remember being scared. I was so scared I didn’t tell Jeno about my crush on him until the end of high school when all I could see in him was a great friend. Because…”

Ten watched as Donghyuck’s eyes turned sad and his whole face fell. “Because?” He prompted.

“Because I was afraid he would reject me. Because I didn’t want to lose one of my best friends,” he answered in a small voice. “It took years for me to get this comfortable.”

Humming, Ten nodded. That’s what he was hoping to hear - as sad as that sounded. “Okay, so you know how hard it can be?” Donghyuck nodded. “Well, Mark is probably going through all that now. He’s just starting to realize his feelings and he grew up pretty oblivious to this sort of possibility. Then you come in and blatantly throw your affection at him, so you can imagine his confusion.”

“I didn’t know you were so good with words…” Donghyuck mumbled but it didn’t have the teasing voice he usually had. It was a good sign and meant he was thinking about what Ten had said.

“I learned a bit from Johnny. He’s a good influence on me, right?” Donghyuck nodded in agreement with Ten. “Now what are your thoughts about Mark?”

“I feel like an asshole.” Ten chuckled. “I never even stopped to think about it…”

Ten nodded, but he smiled reassuringly. “You just need to be a little more patient.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Here, I have something that you’ll enjoy.”

“What is it?” Donghyuck asked while Ten pulled up his pictures.

He smiled when he found the picture he was looking for. Clicking it, Ten passed his phone over to waiting hands. “Proof that Mark really was trying earlier.”

With one look at the picture, Donghyuck burst out laughing. It was a good sign. He wasn’t so upset that he couldn’t laugh at pure comedic gold. The picture was from lunch and Ten had made sure to snap a picture of a very distraught Mark, who was staring intently at Donghyuck’s waiting hand.

“Why does look so constipated?” Donghyuck howled as tears came to his eyes from laughing so hard.

Then his smile shifted and Ten thought the younger looked downright love struck. “I swear if you start to coo at your Not-Boyfriend, I’m kicking you out of here.” That made Donghyuck laugh again and Ten smiled. “Go one more over and you’ll see a video of the mess.”

“He’s not a mess,” Donghyuck defended, but as soon as he went to the video and it began to play, his smile faded. “Okay, fine. But he’s a cute mess.”

“Disgusting.”

“Says the person that hangs all over his boyfriend whenever possible.”

Ten playfully glared. “I’m older than you, and the keyword here is ‘boyfriend.’”

Donghyuck sat up taller with a gasp and put a hand over his heart. “Hyung, that hurts.”

Grinning, Ten got back to his feet. “Better now?”

“A little,” Donghyuck said with a nod.

Ten offered him a hand. “Here,” he helped Donghyuck to his feet, “I’ll teach you a dance I made to one of MJ’s songs.” Donghyuck grinned.

It was a few hours later that Ten and Donghyuck finally called it a day. Donghyuck sat with his back against the mirror, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from his face. Ten thought he looked better than before. He couldn’t wait to rub it in Jaehyun’s face.

Even Ten felt better. The stress of exams no longer weighed on his shoulders. He felt like one of his friends was now in a better place. He just hoped Johnny was able to talk some sense into Mark, or at least help Mark out enough that he wasn’t so confused anymore.

He was scrolling through his music, looking for another song to practice to by himself, when the door to the dance room opened. He looked over his shoulder to see none other than Mark walk in. Ten’s first impression was that the boy definitely looked ten times better than he had in quite a few weeks. Ten decided to congratulate Johnny on a job well done.

“Mark,” he stated - more to give Donghyuck a heads up. It wasn’t too long ago that the other was venting about Mark. Plus the disastrous lunch scene was still fresh on everyone’s mind.

“Ten-hyung!” Mark grinned, walking into the room and not registering the other person present. “I thought I’d find you here. Johnny wanted to…” He trailed off when his eyes picked up movement to the side. “Donghyuck…” Ten didn’t hear the name spoken, but it was clearly on the other’s lips.

The two youngest in the room stared at each other. Neither moved and both seemed more inclined to become statues than talk to one another. So, Ten did what any good friend would.

He left.

But not before clapping to their attention and saying, “I think you two have some things to work through.” He stood at the door and smiled. “Good luck!” He sang out as he looked between the two.

Stepping out, he carefully watched the two for a moment until he was sure no blood was going to be shed. As both of them shifted awkwardly, Ten decided that if anyone was going to die it would be due to the embarrassment. It was painful to watch, but at least the deed was done.

Ten grinned to himself as he gave himself a mental pat on the back. He walked to the other practice room to get one more good workout in. After three songs in, his phone began to vibrate on the shelf he’d placed it on.

He grinned, looking at the name on the screen. “Johnny!” He answered breathlessly from the last dance. “Guess what!”

“Please tell me no one is dead.”

“What?” He asked, catching his breath. “Why would someone be dead? I mean I know I left Hyuckie and Markie in an awkward situation but I made sure that no one was going to die before leaving.”

There was a long pause on the phone. Ten didn’t think much of it and appreciated the chance to finally breathe normally. And then… “You did _what?!_ ”

“I left Mark and Donghyuck alone in a room?” Ten repeated what he said previously in a more questioning tone.

“You thought that was a good idea?” Johnny asked surprised.

Why was everyone attacking him today? “Yes, because they need to talk and they didn’t seem like they were going to hurt each other. And it was so, _so_ awkward that I couldn’t stay and watch just to make sure.”

Before Johnny could answer, Ten heard Jaehyun in the background yelling to Johnny. “Donghyuck won’t answer the phone!”

Johnny sighed. “Fucking hell…” It was mumbled but Ten could hear him clearly and began laughing. “Ten left him alone with Mark,” Johnny answered Jaehyun.

There was a long pause and then, “oh, fuck.”

The sound on the phone changed and Ten knew that he was on speaker. “Hello, Jaehyun.”

“Are they dead?” Jaehyun asked - completely serious.

“Why do you both assume they’re dead?” He sighed, getting his things together. “I’ll have you know that I calmed Hyuckie down and we talked. Then Mark appeared and I decided that they both needed to talk it out. I promise they were more awkward than mad at each other.”

“Appease me,” Jaehyun answered, “and go check on them.”

Ten huffed and Johnny laughed. “Fine,” Ten answered, “but only to prove to you that I’m right.” He left his practice room with Johnny’s laughter still ringing in his ear to go check on Mark and his little protege. Ten decided he was still going to keep Donghyuck as his protege since he was the most promising out of the babies in his eyes.

When he reached the first room, Ten paused. “Huh.”

“What?” Johnny and Jaehyun both asked with varying levels of anxiety.

Ten peered through the window to find no Mark or Donghyuck. “Well, they’re not here.”

“Oh god…” Jaehyun groaned. Johnny just kept laughing. The idiot was getting a kick out of this.

“It doesn’t mean one or both of them are dead,” Ten frowned. “Lisa’s group is really coming together by the way. The girls are really improving on their dance skills.”

“Ten, Babe, focus.” Johnny’s voice called to him. “You can admire their dancing skills later. We’ve got bigger problems.”

Turning away from the dance room, Ten decided to leave. “You guys are blowing this _way_ out of proportion. This is probably a good sign.”

“Probably,” Jaehyun mocked and Ten heard a slap, which was probably from Johnny.

“If they aren’t here and I didn’t hear any screaming and Donghyuck’s not answering phone…” Ten said slowly, carefully. “Maybe they finally fucking figured it out.” Another pause and Ten could picture the two looking at each other. “Have faith in me guys… seriously.” Silence. “Babe, really?”

Johnny sighed. “Okay, fine. I mean…” He hesitated. “I’m just worried. Mark was in high spirits when he left.”

“He looked a lot better when he came in,” Ten agreed.

“And he seemed to understand himself a little more, but he’s still… Mark…”

Ten could understand that. “I told Donghyuck to be patient and that Mark really was trying. Told him to think back to when he was just figuring things out and he seemed to understand.”

Silence again… Was he being so surprising? “That was actually really smart,” Jaehyun commented and Ten couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Babe, I’m so proud.” Ten felt himself grin and preen at the praise. “You did so well.”

“See? Trust me,” he said through his smile, “and if you don’t trust me, have some faith in our Hyuckie. The kid’s smart.”

Jaehyun answered first, “I don’t know… I’m still nervous about this.”

But Johnny came to his rescue. “Ten’s right, though. We know Donghyuck cares about Mark and I can say that Mark is completely gone for Donghyuck. We can only hope that they are mature enough to get through this on their own.”

Jaehyun hummed in response. “I guess if it doesn’t work we can just sit them down together and mediate it all.”

“See? It’ll be fine,” Ten answered. “Oh, yeah, Johnny. Mark sounded like he wanted to tell me something and he mentioned you.”

“Oh, yeah! I told him to tell you to call me if he saw you. You want to get some pizza for dinner tonight?”

“Only if you put pineapple on half,” Ten decided.

“Gross.”

“And lots of meat.”

Jaehyun laughed. “You guys are seriously disgustingly cute. I’m leaving.”

Ten could hear movement. “Wait! Jaehyun! Johnny give the phone to Jaehyun please.”

There was some rustling on the other side of the phone. “What’s up?” Jaehyun asked. “I took you off speaker.”

“I just wanted to apologize,” Ten sighed in defeat. “I’ve been stressed and I realized that I’ve been kind of… taking it out on you.”

Jaehyun paused a little. “Well, if you want to make it up to me, I’ll take a small pizza with _no pineapples_. You guys are animals, putting that stuff on pizza.”

Ten laughed, feeling much better now that he made peace with Jaehyun. “Are we good then?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun answered, “and I guess I’ve also been on edge with midterms.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to buy you pizza?”

“You called me ‘Jaeby.’ You’re getting me that pizza.”

“Fuck, fine. You win.” Ten surrendered. “Tell Johnny I’ll be home in half an hour and to call in the order.”

“Will do.”

Ten hung up and started walking in the direction of the pizza place they always went to. He sent Donghyuck a message, telling the younger to call when he got the chance to see how everything went with Mark. He silently prayed he did the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is quickly coming to an end. I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 (3 at the most) chapters left. I haven't decided whether to have the next one in Mark or Hyuck's perspective or keep with Johnny/Ten like it has been. Let me know if anyone has a preference :) also been playing with the idea of like a side thing with Jaehyun or just more fun things with Johnny and Ten. But I guess we'll see.


	6. Fixing the Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Donghyuck finally get their chance to talk about what's been going on between them and the apologies are not needed but appreciated.

Mark hadn't even thought twice about looking for Ten after leaving Johnny's apartment. Even if Johnny had specifically said "if you see Ten," Mark thought it was the least he could do after all the help Johnny had done for him. Seeing as though Johnny had listened to Mark talk about Donghyuck all afternoon after the movie had ended. And Mark was slowly realizing  _just how much_ he talked about the other.

It should probably be concerning, but Mark found he didn't really care much. He just felt bad that Johnny had to suffer through that.

But it was the reason why instead of going to the dorm he shared with Lucas, Mark decided to find Ten for Johnny. Besides, it wouldn't take much effort on Mark's part. Everyone knew that if you wanted to find Ten there were three places to look. And since he wasn't in class or with Johnny, the only other option to look was the dance practice rooms. 

And he was right. One glance through the window and Mark saw Ten standing on the far side, probably going through his playlist to choose another song to practice to.

Without a second thought, Mark pushed open the door. A smile pulled at his face as Ten saw him with a surprised look. Taking strides into the room, Mark felt light - like nothing could pull him down. 

"Mark," Ten smiled at him.

"Ten-hyung!" He grinned. “I thought I’d find you here." He walked farther into the room. "Johnny wanted to..." Movement caught his eye to his left and he suddenly found it difficult to continue. Sitting with his back against the mirrors with wide and shocked eyes was, "Donghyuck." Mark barely breathed the word out, as if seeing Donghyuck had just knocked the breath from his lungs.

He was sure in that moment that his face mirrored that of Donghyuck's. He felt frozen on the spot and Mark wasn't even sure if Donghyuck was breathing at that point either. All of the confidence he had felt just moments ago seemed to flee his body.

The only person he could focus on was the center of his ever racing thoughts. He was only vaguely aware of Ten skipping by him to the door. The words 'good luck' from the older sounded muffled to Mark's ears as did the click of the door shutting behind Ten as he left the two of them together.

Neither spoke at first. Mark knew what he had to do. He could still see Johnny's face and hear his encouraging words.  _ "Trust yourself, Mark." _ He wasn't sure if he could.  _ "You won't be disappointed. Promise." _ At the time, it had felt promising, but now that he was in front of an equally startled Donghyuck, Mark felt small. So, so small. And the fears were creeping up his spine again.

Even with Johnny telling Mark that Donghyuck liked him, he couldn't see it. Donghyuck was touchy and clingy with others, not just him. Donghyuck hugged, held hands, and cuddled with all their other friends in his year. Mark had to watch as Jeno, Jaemin, and even Renjun let and even returned Donghyuck's affections. It made Mark feel like just any other person.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that was what bothered him. Maybe it bothered him because Mark wanted it to mean something, and even with Johnny's reassurances, he still had doubts. Maybe that's why Mark could never bring himself to do anything because it meant hurting more if he was wrong.

Mark looked everywhere but at Donghyuck. He had to say something. The silence was unbearable. He  _ needed  _ to say something. Mark clenched his jaw as he tried to think of something, anything. Then a thought occurred to him that had him sinking.

_ How did we end up like this? _ It was always so easy for him to talk to Donghyuck. They were best friends, but here they were... standing in front of each other as awkward as strangers. It hurt. It fucking  _ hurt _ knowing that Mark had let it get to this point.

It was his fault, wasn't it? He was the reason behind everything. Because he couldn't pull his shit together. Because he couldn't just take the chance and put himself out there like Johnny told him to.

He looked down at his shoes. Here was the result of his mistakes. As the silence stretched, Mark felt the distance between them grow. He realized - so, so belatedly - that he wanted the opposite. He wanted Donghyuck closer. Closer than what they were.

Mark opened his mouth to apologize when-

"I'm sorry." The words were whispered, but in the silence of the dance practice room they might have well have been yelled at him.

Mark looked up confused to see Donghyuck's sad eyes watching him carefully. "What?" Why was Donghyuck apologizing when it was Mark's fault? It should be the other way around not... this. It felt wrong and the guilt was crawling up Mark's spine. It spread like wildfire as he looked at Donghyuck’s crestfallen expression.

He was so, so confused.

* * *

Donghyuck had gotten over his initial shock not long after Ten had left him alone with Mark. He had to admit that hearing Mark's name so soon after their failed lunch, and seeing him walk in with a bright smile on his face had done things to Donghyuck's heart. His stomach flipped and his heart felt like it straight up skipped a beat. How ridiculously cliche. 

He was so gone for Mark. It was almost - kinda, not really - pathetic.  _ When was the last time Mark smiled like that? _ He wondered. The last couple weeks Donghyuck thought he seemed off and then…

Mark noticed him.

Donghyuck heard his name whispered on Mark's lips, but it didn't make him happy like it usually did. Donghyuck's heart fell to his stomach at the way Mark's smile vanished from his face.

Donghyuck did that. He was the reason Mark had been off lately, and it left him feeling hollow as he stared wide eyed at Mark's own shocked gaze. He only ever wanted to make Mark laugh and smile. How had he caused the opposite to happen?

The "good luck" that Ten threw to them should have annoyed Donghyuck but it didn't. Because Ten was right, they did have things to work through. It was painfully obvious when Mark avoided his gaze and looked everywhere besides him.

It saddened Donghyuck. Where did that bright smile go?

His conversation with Ten was still fresh in his mind as he watched Mark. He seemed to be having an internal debate with himself. The way his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched told Donghyuck that Mark was deep in thought.

He wished he could just reach out and smooth the wrinkles that had formed between Mark's brows. He wanted to hold him and comfort his muddled mind. Maybe tell Mark that it was okay and he understood.

But there was something wild - a panic - in Mark's eyes that told Donghyuck that would be the worst thing to do in that moment. Touching Mark now would probably have the opposite effect, and he didn't want that. But the silence was deafening and Donghyuck felt like he was suffocating in it.

It felt like they were back at lunch. The awkwardness between them was new and uncomfortable for Donghyuck as he sat there leaning against the mirror, waiting for Mark to find his way out of the confusion - out of the rut he was in. Donghyuck knew from past experience that it could take months or years to get through everything.

Awkwardness and silence couldn't remain if they were going to make progress. Donghyuck didn't want to lose Mark. He didn't want to lose his friend and if he didn't do  _ something _ , he had a feeling that that was exactly what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Mark's head snapped up in his direction when the silent spell was broken. His eyes were wide and almost looked terrified. "What?" Mark asked just as quiet as Donghyuck.

Over the year that Donghyuck has known and watched Mark, he's learned to pick up his mannerisms. He's become quite fluent in reading Mark's body language, which was why Donghyuck knew Mark was seconds away from losing his mind.

Donghyuck just wished he understood  _ why _ . Why did him apologizing cause Mark to react like that?

"Hey." Donghyuck was to his feet and in front of Mark in a second, though he was a little shaky due to his legs feeling like jello after practicing with Ten for so long. "Mark?" He asked cautiously. "You okay?"

He was so tempted to reach out. His hand hovered in the space between them, aching to touch, to soothe. Donghyuck was amazed at his self-control.

Mark didn’t answer him. Instead, he chose to keep his head down at his feet. “Will you at least sit with me?” This time Donghyuck placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when Mark didn’t shy away. He guided Mark to where he'd been sitting before.

They sat side-by-side. Donghyuck made sure it wasn't so close that Mark would feel uncomfortable. Even though they were less than a foot apart, Donghyuck couldn't help but think the distance felt farther than it should have been.

The silence between the two of them made it even worse. Why can't they just laugh and joke like they usually do? Why did Ten have to make him think? Why did he feel bad about wanting to hold Mark's hand now?

"Why..." Mark's voice was hesitant as it caught on the word slightly. "Why are you the one apologizing when I..."

Donghyuck watched Mark out of the corner of his eye. The older seemed so unsure of himself in this moment as he fidgeted with his fingers. It was unlike him. It wasn't the same person Donghyuck had come to love.

But then again... this was Mark. Or at least a side of him. Donghyuck should know. He'd gone through these feelings back in middle and high school. And now Mark was too.

"Because," Donghyuck smiled at Mark when the other looked at him wide eyes, "I need to."

"But it was me! I was the one that messed it up!" Donghyuck didn't think it was possible for Mark's eyes to get any bigger. "I should be the one that's apologizing..."

_ Crap. _ Somewhere deep down Donghyuck was fearing this. Mark could feel the distance as well, but he was blaming himself instead of Donghyuck. "Shit, Mark..." He hadn't meant to sound annoyed and he hated how tense the statement made the other. "I'm the one that messed up. Not you. I didn't think about you."

Donghyuck needed to busy his hands if he was going to do this. He tentatively reached for Mark's hand and took it in his. He smiled slightly as Mark let him do as he pleased and felt a weight lift when Mark seemed to relax as well.

With Mark's hand in his lap, he faced the open palm upwards but frowned at the crescent marks in the skin made by Mark’s nails. "I should have thought about you more," he whispered, running a hand over the little indents in Mark's skin. "And I can't believe I needed Ten to say something to actually realize it." He ran his fingers over Mark's palm and fingers, gently massaging it and imagining all the stress leaving the both of them.

"I never thought that maybe... you didn't want me to hug you or hold your hand." Talking about it now, Donghyuck could feel his face heating.  _ This is so embarrassing. _ "I didn't think about how it could make you feel."

"Donghyuck..." Mark whispered his name and Donghyuck closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." He never wanted that and he hated even contemplating the idea that he had hurt Mark because of his thoughtlessness. "I know-" He took a breath and stopped himself. "I only did that stuff cause I like you, you know?" Donghyuck felt the heat spreading to his ears and neck. He was sure his skin was tinted red now. "I know I never said it out loud and it probably made this messier, but I do."

"So, yeah," Donghyuck mumbled more to himself, "that's why I said I'm sorry."

Mark's hand, which had remained still between Donghyuck's hands, finally moved. Fingers threaded through his own and held Donghyuck's hand tightly. Donghyuck squeezed back just as hard - afraid that if he let go, Mark would drift away again. It was rare for Mark to initiate something like this.

"I didn't mind,” was Mark’s reply.

Donghyuck felt his heart pound in his chest. He felt light and just a little bit breathless. "You didn't?"

A squeeze of the hand and a little shake of the head was Donghyuck's answer. A small smile formed on Donghyuck's lips when he noticed the embarrassed smile and blush on Mark's face. "I still don't mind."

Shuffling his body closer to Mark, Donghyuck let his head fall onto Mark's shoulder. "Is this okay?" He asked when Mark didn't attempt to move away.

He felt Mark's head lean against his. "More than okay." Donghyuck released Mark’s hand so he could hold Mark's arm close to him instead, allowing himself to curl slightly into Mark. "I missed you, Hyuckie."

Donghyuck felt his eyes burn at the words. "I missed you, too." His words came out thick with emotion.  _ God, we are such a mess. _ But Donghyuck had to admit that this was good. They could only go up from here. They were going to figure this out.

"I'm sorry, too." Mark's words cut through his thoughts.

"For what?"

Mark's hand played with the frayed threads of Donghyuck's jeans. "For being an idiot."

"You're not an idiot."

"I am." Mark squeezed Donghyuck's thigh. "Because I can't be like this in front of others," Mark whispered sadly. "At least... not yet, but I'm trying. Hyuck, I promise I'm trying."

Donghyuck nuzzled Mark's shoulder. A sad smile pulled at his lips. "I know you are, Mark. Besides, Ten showed me a lovely video from this afternoon." Mark groaned, making Donghyuck chuckle.

"I can't believe he took a video."

"And many pictures."

Mark sighed. "I wish I was more surprised, but I'm not."

Laughing, Donghyuck lifted his head and smiled at Mark. He was relieved that Mark was smiling and laughing along with him. "You're cute." Mark flushed red, making Donghyuck grin wider. "Really, really cute."

"Donghyuck..." Mark groaned in embarrassment, turning his head away.

But Donghyuck could see the way Mark's ears turned red. He rested his chin on Mark's shoulder. He felt light and happy again. In fact, he was downright giddy now. Except the moment was ruined by his growling stomach.

Mark chuckled at the pout on Donghyuck's face. "Hungry?"

"Starving," he answered. "Dancing with Ten is exhausting. Plus, I didn't really eat all the much at lunch."

"Sorry." Mark sounded guilty again.

Frowning, Donghyuck gave Mark's shoulder a pat. "Not your fault. You wanna get food?" At Mark's nod, Donghyuck smiled. "I'm kind of craving pizza right now."

"Pizza sounds amazing."

Jumping to his feet, Donghyuck held out his hand for Mark to take and lifted Mark to his feet. He all but dragged Mark to the door. As soon as they left, Donghyuck released his hold. He was much more conscious of the things he did with Mark now.

Except, this time Mark took his hand back with a blush staining his cheeks. "Mark, you don't have to. I can wait as long as you need me to."

"I can do this much." Donghyuck frowned slightly at their hands as Mark swung them back and forth. "I'm not lying."

"Well..." Donghyuck couldn't lie. He quite liked this turn of events. "As long as it's okay with you. But promise you'll stop if you have to!"

Mark laughed and gave Donghyuck's hand a squeeze. "Promise."

"Good." He huffed. "Now let's get pizza."

Donghyuck guided them to his favorite pizza place. The walk was peaceful and Donghyuck felt better than he had in days. He swung his and Mark's hands back and forth and Donghyuck practically skipped as he walked, making Mark laugh every now and then.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Mark questioned as they waited to cross a street.

"Ask what?"

"If I like you."

Humming, Donghyuck pretended to think about it. Truthfully, he'd already realized that Mark hadn't said anything of the sort. "Nope!"

Mark blanked at that. "No?"

"Nuh uh." Donghyuck didn't need words. Mark holding his hand was proof enough in his opinion. Besides, Mark wouldn't put up with half the shit Donghyuck did if he didn't have some feelings for him. Grinning at Mark, he said, "I want you to say it when you're ready."

Mark flushed but smiled brightly. "Alright. Thanks."

Donghyuck had to hold himself back from kissing Mark right then and there.  _ Oh god _ , Donghyuck thought in a panic,  _ this is going to be so hard.  _ "Mark, you're adorable," he decided to say instead.

"And you're as bright as the sun."

_ Well, shit. _ Donghyuck leaned his forehead on Mark's shoulder. "Mark,” he whined, “You're ridiculous." Mark had to audacity to laugh. "Keep saying things like that and I'm gonna have to kiss you, Mark."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

Donghyuck lifted his head and stared. "I'm not kidding."

Mark shrugged and placed a kiss on Donghyuck's forehead. "I know," he said with an embarrassed smile, "and I'm... I guess I'm just trying."

Groaning, Donghyuck just pulled Mark in the direction of the pizza parlor when the light turned. "Forget it! We are getting pizza! I can't handle you right now!" Mark just laughed as he was pulled along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been done for over a week now but i have been so busy at work that i was too tired to edit it and post it. so now it's the weekend and i have a little more energy. so I hope you enjoyed!


	7. Are We Cupid?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ten thinks he's cupid and sets his sight on the next "couple-to-be" (featuring a glimpse at markhyuck's pizza date)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry in advance... I didn't really proof read this. Also, this thing will be coming to an end soon (I hope). I also want to let you all know that I'll be extremely busy with work the next month and a half so probably won't get to much of anything...

The phone rang beside him. Johnny fumbled around with his eyes closed, searching his bedding for the damned device. Jaehyun, who had fallen asleep beside him waiting for Ten to return with pizza, shifted at the loud sounds. He swiped his finger across the screen without glancing at the caller ID and brought it up to his ear.

"Ten, I swear to fucking god," he began. "For the last time, I am  _not_ putting pineapple on the whole pizza just because we're getting two now."

"Uh, okay?" The stunned voice that definitely did not belong to Ten responded to him.

Johnny's eyes shot open as he sat up. His eyes looked to the screen and his mouth fell open. "Oh god..." He mumbled before putting the phone back to his ear. Jaehyun groaned as the bed shifted around him once more. "Taeyong, I am so sorry! I thought you were Ten complaining about our pizza order."

At least Taeyong laughed at him. He felt horrible for slightly cursing out his friend for no reason. "Did you need something?" Johnny asked, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. "You don't usually call me out of the blue."

"Oh, right." There was a pause. "Are Mark and Donghyuck finally dating?"

He let the words sink into his head as he processed what Taeyong meant. "Wait, what?"

"Mark and Donghyuck look like they're on a date right now."

Johnny listened, but even after the second time, he still wasn't convinced. He and Ten had  _just_ talked to the two of them today. There was no way that they managed to patch things up that quickly. A chuckle passed through his lips before he could stop it. "You're kidding me, right?"

There was no way. Absolutely no way this was real, but it would be nice if it were.

"Dude, would I lie to you?" Taeyong laughed as well, and Johnny had to admit that Taeyong has never lied to him since he knew the guy.

"Okay, fair." There were never any lies between them, but still. "Proof or it didn't happen."

"Picture or video?" Taeyong seemed too happy about the turn of events, but maybe it was because no one in their friend group liked the way things were between Mark and Donghyuck. Lunch had been difficult for everyone. And Taeyong always had a soft spot for the two of them, especially Mark.

"Video."

Taeyong hung up the phone just as Jaehyun opened his eyes. "Who was that?" He asked in a groggy voice. He sat up as the phone began to ring again, but this time it was video call and Johnny - as well as Jaehyun - could see who was calling. "Why is...?"

Ignoring Jaehyun's slight panicked eyes, Johnny answered the call. "Alright," Taeyong begins but stops when he notices Jaehyun in the corner of the screen.

Johnny watched as Taeyong's face split into a large grin.  _Interesting_ , he thought when Taeyong gave a little wave. "Hi Jaehyun."

Beside him, Jaehyun flushed red and waved back.  _Very interesting_ , Johnny decided to save this information for later. "Focus Taeyong. Where are Mark and Donghyuck?"

"Oh, right." Taeyong nodded and the camera suddenly shifted around. "See them in the corner?" The camera was having a hard time focusing. "I feel really creepy doing this by the way. People are staring at me."

"It's for the good of our friends. Now fix your camera. We can't see."

Taeyong apologized and messed with his phone a little bit. Johnny and Jaehyun watched as the two in question cleared. "Well shit..." Jaehyun mumbled as Johnny's mouth fell open.

In the corner of the restaurant - lost in their own little world - were Mark and Donghyuck. The youngest was being very animated and  _very_ touchy with Mark. And Mark... Mark was smiling and laughing and  _letting Donghyuck do whatever he wanted_ _._  

They looked very much in love. Johnny was so happy to see them smiling and laughing like that. "I guess they made up?" Johnny questioned as Donghyuck reached for Mark's hand. The younger looked worried until Mark held his hand back, making Donghyuck smile even brighter.

"They really do look like they're on a date," Jaehyun commented after observing the two a moment longer.

"Right?" Taeyong sounded beyond happy with the new development. He sounded like a proud parent. It was adorable. And even though Jaehyun didn't sound as excited, he hadn't stopped smiling since he got a good look at them. 

Johnny continued watching until... "Oh shit..." Jaehyun looked at him confused. That was the pizza place that Ten was going to get their food.

"What's wrong?" Taeyong asked through the phone.

Before he could answer, a high pitched scream filled the air causing Taeyong to curse and Jaehyun and Johnny to flinch. "Stop Ten before Mark and Hyuck hear him!" Johnny yelled into the phone. "He's going to ruin everything."

There's some scrambling as the video flickered in and out, and neither Johnny nor Jaehyun could make heads or tails of what was happening. Suddenly, the two were looking at Taeyong and Ten crouched down somewhere with Taeyong covering the other's mouth. Johnny watched his boyfriend's confusion morph into excitement. "Johnny! Babe!" He shouted as soon as he freed his mouth. "I'm a fucking cupid! Did you see that? They've got to be dating!"

Jaehyun was the one to stop Ten's excitement from getting out of hand because they all knew Johnny was too whipped for his boyfriend to dim his happiness. "Ten, wait." Ten's smile faltered only slightly. "They haven't told anyone they're dating yet."

Taeyong nodded and patted Ten's head when the other pouted. "But did you  _see_ them? If that's not dating-"

"Babe?" Johnny interjected, making his boyfriend pout deepen in protest. "Jaehyun's right." Ten looked mildly offended that Johnny was taking his friend's side on this rather than his own boyfriend. "Until one of them says they're together, we can't assume anything."

"But-"

"No buts." Ten pouted, Jaehyun snorted, and Taeyong had to bite his lip to keep from laughing and even turned his head so Ten wouldn't see his reaction. "We've got bigger problems." Johnny stated in order to distract Ten.

"Which is what?"

Johnny smiled at the way Ten's nose scrunched slightly in confusion. He could practically read his boyfriend's mind.  _"What could possibly be more important than two of our favorite people finally getting together?"_ It was kind of cute actually. "You need to figure out how to get our pizzas."

Everyone looked confused. Taeyong and Jaehyun frowned even further when Ten groaned. "No, Johnny, this is the worst!"

"What?" Taeyong and Jaehyun asked simultaneously.

"It's not really going to be a problem with Donghyuck, but Mark... well..." Realization flashed across their faces. "Mark's always been a bit flighty when it comes to showing affection in public."

Taeyong nodded in understanding as he glanced at the two from his and Ten's hiding place. "He's showing a lot already in front of strangers."

"But with people he knows..." Jaehyun began with a frown forming on his face.

Ten sighed and finished. "He may distance himself again. God damn it all. I swear to god he can be such a pain."

Johnny laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, so you can't let him see you." For all they knew, Mark would be fine with it. The only problem that it was really a hit or miss situation. Better safe than sorry. They didn't need a lunch repeat.

"And how the fuck do you expect me to do that?" Ten glared annoyed.

"Borrow Taeyong's clothes?" Johnny offered.

"What?!" Both Taeyong and Jaehyun yelled.

"What? He's got a jacket and hat. It's perfect." Johnny tried to explain. Jaehyun glared at him while Taeyong let Ten borrow his clothes. "You want pizza or what?" Johnny asked him and Jaehyun looked away with a pout on his face, making Johnny laugh.

"Alright," Ten said. They couldn't help but laugh at how big Taeyong's jacket was on Ten even though Taeyong wasn't much bigger. "I'm going in."

"Don't sound so dramatic," Jaehyun stated as Ten disappeared from view.

Without even being told, Taeyong turned the camera to get a good look at the scene. Ten walked in with his head down, but they could all tell he was taking glances at Mark and Donghyuck. They just prayed Ten would go unnoticed. And thankfully... he did because the two lovebirds only had eyes for each other. It was disgusting cute. 

"That went smoother than anticipated," Jaehyun said, voicing all of their thoughts.

Ten returned with two pizzas and a grin on his face. He sat down and handed over Taeyong's jacket and hat. "I'll buy sushi for everyone for a week if those two aren't dating. That was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I'm totally a fucking a cupid. You should have heard Mark. He was  _giggling_. It was amazing."

"Did I do nothing here?"

Ten paused in his rambling. " _We_ are cupids! Who's next?" Before Johnny or Jaehyun could stop him, Ten turned to Taeyong with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Taeyong! We've got two pizzas for tonight. Want to join us for dinner?"

"Uh, okay?" Taeyong asked more than answered. Probably because of the random question thrown his way, but then Taeyong smiled as he turned back to the phone. "Guess I'll see you guys soon!"

The phone went dead and there was an awkward silence between Johnny and his childhood friend.

"I want to apologize in advance for my boyfriend's idiocy."

Jaehyun let out a long sigh before getting out of bed and walking to his own room. "Shit," Johnny heard him say, "now I actually have to go look presentable." Johnny couldn't stop the laughter that escaped him as Jaehyun continued to grumble under his breath.


End file.
